|
|
|
|
|
|
Jason Weber
|
|
Drive south on Interstate 15, with the sprawl of LA behind you and San Diego beckoning ahead, you will come to Lake Elsinore, the town that is currently home to one of the rising stars of smooth jazz, Jason Weber.
Weber gained a bachelor’s degree at the University of Wisconsin before relocating to Southern California in pursuit of his dream to make it on the contemporary jazz scene. During his time in the mid west he fronted an award winning contemporary jazz group that gained some acclaim, playing the clubs of southeastern Wisconsin. In 1997 he released his first CD 1st Avenue, an event that enabled him to reach the finals of a competition ran by Musician Magazine, ‘The Best Unsigned Band’ contest.
He has since followed up with two further releases Snow and Leap of Faith.
Not surprisingly, his growing reputation has put him in great demand. During those times when he is not playing with his own band he is often called upon as a sideman for some of the major stars of the genre. This, in part, has meant that over the last five years he has either opened for or performed with the likes of Boney James, Dave Koz, Richard Elliott, Kirk Whalum, Marc Antoine, David Benoit and Arturo Sandoval.
|
|
|
|
Jason Weber - Something Blue
|
|
|
Now he is out on his own again with his latest CD Something Blue. From the outset it must be said that this latest work is a far above average example of good smooth jazz. Quality sax playing throughout and a consistently compelling beat holds the listener firmly in place over each of the thirteen self penned tracks.
There are certainly enough stand out tracks here for the album to be considered as a serious piece of work.
#1, ‘Reflections’, is a laid back even tempo number, very smooth with an excellent saxophone tone from Weber. The muted trumpet incursions by Kurt Weber only add to the overall effect. A very good track.
Track #2, ‘J Street’ brings with it a good beat, a funky feel and genuine urban twinges. Again a very good track. Track #3 ‘Summer Solstice’ is a faster paced tune of what could be described as good time smooth jazz sax music. A very worthy inclusion.
Sliding into mellow mood and a useful piece of late night music is track #4, ‘Alone In Paradise’. ‘So Cool’ that can be found on track #6 is just that. Extremely cool with a genuine modern smooth jazz feel plus more nice playing from Weber.
Fast forwarding on to track #9 with ‘Here There But Nowhere’ we find another quality track with a great rhythm and more genuine urban flavors. ‘Struttin’, on track #11 sounds just like the title suggests it should while ‘Rainforest’ is another Weber original and not to be confused with the Paul Hardcastle smooth jazz hit of the same name.
The album ends on a genuine high with ‘Got Funk?’ which it certainly has in abundance. It is a high energy ending to what is a really good example of smooth jazz from a performer who looks set to go on from strength to strength. Lets hope the executives just down the road at KIFM 98.1 pick up on it and give it the airplay it deserves.
You can check out the music of Jason Weber by going to http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/jasonweber where you will find audio clips from Something Blue. Also, visit www.mp3.com/jasonweber to listen to the entire CD. You can also catch Jason playing live at selected venues in Southern California throughout December. Details can be found in the ‘live events’ section of his mp3 site. On January 10 2003 Jason will be playing with Steve Ferrone’s band at La Va Lee in Studio City. Many of you will be familiar with Ferone as a top-notch session drummer. One particular stand out musical memory that involves Ferone is the excellent release on GRP by Patti Austin, That Secret Place. Check out ‘Hurry Home’ from that album for an example of one of the best smooth jazz – fusion numbers of all time.
Every Thursday Weber can be found at II Baci in Murrieta. Give it a try. As well as being a great night out it may also prove to be a rewarding music experience.
|
